Island home has a beach to itself

Summer's nearly over; but if you've got £2.75 million to spare you could be making the most of any good weather next year at a house with its own private access to a beautiful beach.

Swains House, in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, has stunning views across the Solent and direct access to a quiet shingle beach.

The house has a reception hall, sitting room, drawing room, hall/study, kitchen, breakfast room and games room. There are currently eight bedrooms and three bathrooms, with plumbing and space for two more.

Outside, the two-acre gardens include an old croquet lawn and a bowling green, standing above a small cliff which descends, via rocky steps, to a small bog garden. There is a cascade of water running through the garden from top to bottom, taking in several ponds along the way.

"There are palm trees, and other exotic shrubs; rocky steps through the garden lead to a gate opening directly onto the beach," say agents Strutt & Parker.

"The grounds to the west are terraced, with a formal lawned orchard avenue, a vine and a kitchen garden."

There are a number of outbuildings, including outhouses, garages with a workshop, a boat store, potting sheds and a greenhouse. The largest building, say the agents, could be converted into extra accommodation.

While the beach itself isn't privately owned, it's well away from the main stretch in Bembridge and the chances are that the new owners will have it to themselves.

But there are a number of other properties on the market right now with their own beach access or private beach. There's this seven-bedroom detached house in Argyll, for example, which comes with about 400 metres of shingle beach up to the low water mark.

It costs £1,340,000 through agents McEwan Fraser Legal.

And we recently reported on a Cardiff house that has its own private island, as well as a small stretch of beach; it's up for sale with agents Strutt & Parker for £1.75 million.

But if that's a bit out of your budget, a beach hut could be for you; there's one for sale in Walton On The Naze in Essex, for example, for just £14,500; and while it may not look like much from the outside, it boasts a kitchen and seating area and exterior terrace - and it's just a few steps down onto the sand.